Laving Hill, Avenir
Laving Hill is the 6th most populous suburb of Avenir, England, its 5th largest, 5th most economic, and 4th most visited as of 2014. Laving Hill has existed as a duchy since Buccleugh, an aristocracy of French origin, partitioned sometime around 1400. Buccleugh's continuing economic struggles forced its massive expansion to come to a grinding halt, and as such, the division occurred. The division was into a number of separate duchies, given to the offspring of the Buccleugh Dynasty, and each duchy was originally thought to act subserviently to Buccleugh, the most developed and largest at the time, though this axiom quickly waned. Laving Hill was given to Laving Buccleugh, who started the Laving Dynasty. Laving Hill was situated on the eastern periphery of the city, in a precipitous, woodland region. Most agriculture was futile; Laving Hill became reliant on neighbouring duchies, which sat on heaps of flatlands, for food. This was an evident trouble in Laving Hill history; its population never exceeded more than 10,000 at a time until Avenir truly stabilised and new farming methods emerged. Laving Hill also engaged in a three-century-long conflict with Falsgrave over the Falsgravia Strip, an extremely long, narrow, and potable stretch of lands which were vital for Laving Hill's existence, and essentially fed the population until 1756. History Early Years with Buccleugh In the early 1400s, Buccleugh began its massive expansion into northern regions of modern-day Avenir, with Laving Hill becoming a relatively large subsection due to a low population density albeit proximity to Buccleugh. Laving Hill began very small, but claimed lots of lands to its west which had never been populated. However, Buccleugh's influence very quickly waned, as the lands became impossible to govern under Buccleugh's current economy. Thus, Buccleugh partitioned, and Laving Hill became its own entity. In spite of its new-found independence, Laving Hill was initially still in a weak state. The Duchy of Ambrose Hill, to its immediate east, and Fishmarket were both more naturally desirable, with the former having access to flat plains and mineral-rich soils and the latter having access to a lake and potable soils. Thus, most Buccleugh-born settlers opted for these competitors. Laving Hill was constantly reliant on these neighbours for food, and, as such, often had to go along with wars and other pursuits which often resulted in the compromising of its lands. Blossom Hill annexed swathes of Laving Hill land, which was undefended in a series of wars with Ambrose Hill. New farming methods would quickly emerge, however, and Laving Hill broke free, acting as an independent entity for its first time in existence. Troubles with Falsgrave and years as Laving-Ambrose Hill The warrior culture of Ambrose Hill, for a long time Laving Hill's closest ally, had clearly rubbed off on the dukedom. Laving Hill, in a bid for more land, was in a constant state of war with Falsgrave, a duchy to its immediate south. Backed by Ambrose Hill, Laving Hill was often successful; and signing a concordat with Buccleugh, for years Laving Hill pummeled Falsgrave, promoting the former's development and rising the duchy to a status of power. Laving Hill rose to a stage of power paralleling that of Blossom Hill's; Ambrose Hill was suffering heavily during the 17th century due to heavy defeats inflicted by Blossom Hill, and chose to temporarily unify with Laving Hill as Laving-Ambrose Hill. Laving Hill, under this new banner, managed to annex all of the Falsgravia Strip and much of northern Falsgrave, ransacking Falsgrave villages and dispatching belligerent populations. Laving-Ambrose Hill, during its years of existence, gained a reputation of ruthlessness and brute force, and often waged war on Blossom Hill. Collapse of Laving-Ambrose Hill, later years Ambrose Hill was growing stronger and stronger and, with its past heritage under the Bellamy Dynasty ever present, eventually developed sentiments of desired independence now Ambrose Hill was fully recovered. With the dukedoms of Buccleugh and Blossom Hill in imminent collapse, Ambrose Hill, a conservative, heavily Pro-Duchy duchy, wanted none of this, and had the intention of total domination over Avenir. Ambrose Hill broke from the unification in 1701, annexing many lands originally under Laving Hill jurisdiction and becoming very hostile to its former close ally. Irredentist tensions began in Laving Hill and, on the verge of total collapse, Laving Hill was annexed by combined forces from Ambrose Hill and Falsgrave on February 22, 1731. Laving Hill is looted by these troops and, vengefully, Falsgrave burns down many villages in the Laving Hill sphere. Laving Hill is levelled and intentionally razed almost to a full extent by March that same year. Great War of the Southern Dukedoms Liberation Laving Hill was liberated from Pro-Duchy control circa June 1736, just prior to Falsgrave's surrender as its infantry was slaughtered by Unionist troops, which attacked from both sides. What is left of Laving Hill is ashes; some 95% of all infrastructure is totally — and intentionally — destroyed. Its population is mostly killed off, enslaved for the building of fortresses in place of former communities. The Rape of Laving Hill, as it is often called, is one of the main justifications for the severe punishments of the Pro-Duchy powers. Laving Hill would enjoy 20 years of reparations from September 1, 1736 to September 1, 1756, when the Statute of the Union was officially signed. Statute of the Union In the Statute of the Union, Laving Hill was given the area of North Laving, former Laving Hill territory annexed by Blossom Hill. This area had plenty of agricultural plots, which could feed a rapidly growing population. In return, the Falsgravia Strip was given to the indignant Falsgrave, which had been irredentist about the region for many years. Ernest Woodlands was given to Blithebeth from Laving Hill, and in return Laving Hill annexed the Ernest Manor. Laving Hill would also annex parts of the Pro-Union Free Zone. Troubles The Statute of the Union made controversial concessions of land from the Laving Hill proper. The loss of Ernest Woodlands, which encompassed roughly one ninth of Laving Hill's total land area was never fully recognised by Laving Hill, nor was the loss of the Falsgravia Strip. Laving Hill received minor lands from Falsgrave's northern belt, albeit only being around one mile in area. Falsgrave never recognised this cession. Although all changes were made official with the signing of the Statute, Laving Hill never adjusted its precinctual borders to accommodate the changes, leaving the lands gained from Falsgrave under Old Town jurisdiction, causing a salient and creating "weird-looking" borders. Falsgravia was split into two components, an eastern area and a western area, although both followed the same precinct code. Cartographers were also ordered to mark lines of ceded Blossom Hill and Laving Hill territory on maps (as shown by right image), as well as mark the Ockham Dependency (not shown on right image), which composed the precincts of Ockham Bourg, Ockham High Town, and Rhodesia Monument, which was initially supposed to be granted independence from Laving Hill as a new suburb but no wish was fulfilled. 19th century and Industrial Revolution During the Industrial Revolution, Laving Hill rose to political prowess in the form of cotton exports. Laving Hill was infamous for its slave trade, and while it would quickly become abolished, there are still remnants of this history today. Clothes production also became a pre-eminent industry in the area, particularly in the manufacturing of scarves and gloves as Laving Hill was very cold due to a precipitous topography. The Laving Hill Green Belt would be established, stretching from the south-east of Laving Hill throughout Cheselwicke into North-West Avenir and finally terminating in Vancouver, a massive stretch of land of AOB-esque natural scenery. Laving Hill's population, regardless, exponentiated; the rise of newer farming methods and the void animosities in South Avenir meant its demographics were actually fed, obviating mass poverty and leading to the rise of working class men and women particularly in its south-east, near Blithebeth. Canal systems were established in Laving Hill throughout the 19th century, although these were concentrated in its southern areas with no hills, making the population concentration worse. The Laving Hill Old Town became significantly larger during this time, and most defunct Tudor era structures were demolished. Theatres and other entertainment corporations also begun to spring up in Laving Hill area. World War I and Interwar During World War I, many Belgian refugees migrated to Avenir, settling, in their breadth, in Laving Hill and Rumensholme. Some 11,000 Belgians would find refuge in Laving Hill alone, whose excess housing — the only suburb with housing to spare — ended up building new communities enclaved in Laving Hill borders. These new settlers would assimilate and go on to dominate Laving Hill geopolitics thus forth. During World War I, as much of Avenir's population would go off to fight in the war, Laving Hill would also see a rise in the woman's role in livelihoods. Factories and roles such as policing and as firemen became commonplace. From 1913 onwards, plans were secured to flatten the northern lands of Laving Hill, which were too rocky and mountainous for development. Machinery such as rototillers and jackhammers were used for the process; although with men out of order for the War's duration, women were placed into the role. By 1916, around 1/6 of Laving Hill's land had been flattened for development. The rise of women in Laving Hill would also see their ascension during the Interwar period. While livelihoods had returned to normal with men reinstated, some women were able to keep their occupations, filling some 10,000 Laving Hill male residents killed in World War I. The advent of nightclubs and bars placed women as equals, developing a liberal attitude in life in Laving Hill. The flattening of Laving Hill, as it is colloquially monikered, finished around 1922, and the women behind its doing were appointed as firewomen and other male-dominated jobs in Laving Hill. World War II During World War II, it is believed that German intelligence chose the Laving Hill centre as a bombing target. While most of Laving Hill was unchanged by the outbreak of the war, munitions factories such as Thompson-Derry were focused in bombing raids. On the night of January 7, Laving Hill was bombed heavily, amounting to 13% of its total infrastructure being destroyed in one night. Most of this was result from incendiary bombing, which often had unintended victims; timber-framed structures succumbed heavily to the flames, wiping out part of Laving Hill's cultural heritage. Restoration efforts were carried out meticulously after 1944. Post-War Although the flattening of Laving Hill's northern lands had occurred some 30 years ago, most of the newly-claimed lands were still undeveloped, becoming prime subject to post-war style building. Tower blocks and townhouses became commonplace in northern Laving Hill, and although they were intended for the private sector of real estate, many fell into council hands by 1990 due to lack of traction. This area would later become subject to another gentrification stage, becoming the planned park for the 2002 Commonwealth games. The stadiums would become re-purposed for community use, such as new grounds for South Avenir FC, and private leisure centres. Some structures were demolished in part due to inordinate volumes. The athletic village, composed of prefabs, was deconstructed and used for the building of Valley Park, which stood on former tower block grounds. Demographics Laving Hill has always been a dominantly white area. Its situation on the western ridge of Avenir and rural profile never opened it up to cheap labour. Most of Laving Hill is covered by housing, so with little in the way of a jobs' industry, immigration would be at a low. Most of the ethnic population lives in Curzon and New Bremen, with cheaper housing and pockets of labour jobs. Moreover, the flattening of North Laving attracted migrants after 1945, leading to pockets of ethnic descendants. Political The Laving Hill Ward (encompassing the Laving Hill proper and its disputed territories (see the territories marked green on the right) votes dominantly in favour of Conservative (81% of votes), Labour (11% of votes), and Green Party (7%). Having an average GDP per capita of around 55,000 USD, well above the national average of around 43,200 USD, is typically attracted to more right-wing parties. The Green Party achieved 38% of votes in North Laving, mostly due to environmental protection concerns from locals with regard to ruthless destruction of the area's satyrid and plant life. Category:Avenir